Portable gun rack

Abstract

A portable gun rack comprises an open-faced enclosure with a securing clip or a plurality of securing clips to securely grasp one or more weapon barrels and a lower horizontal support with low retaining barriers to provide lateral support for gun butts. The gun rack may be releasably latched or otherwise coupled to a base that is mounted to a vehicle or other solid, movable or stationary object. The gun rack preferably includes means to releasably latch the rack in a horizontal or vertical orientation. The gun rack may also include a water-tight cover that may be releasably latched to the enclosure to further protect weapons from the elements. The cover may conveniently be provided with a carrying handle so that the rack can be unlatched from a base in a vehicle or residence carried to a site for use of the weapon while maintaining protection for the enclosed weapon.

I claim: 
     
       1. A portable gun rack for firmly supporting a gun in transit, the rack comprising: a. a base;   b. a portable gun receiving cabinet;   c. means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base: and   d. means within the cabinet for securing a gun.   
     
     
       2. The rack of claim 1 wherein the cabinet comprises an elongated, open-faced box. 
     
     
       3. The rack of claim 1 wherein the cabinet comprises an elongated, open-faced box having a back, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides on either side of the back and bottom, and a rear wall coupled to the back, bottom, and sides, and wherein the means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base attaches base to the bottom of the cabinet. 
     
     
       4. The rack of claim 1 wherein the cabinet comprises an elongated, open-faced box having a back, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides on either side of the back and bottom, and a rear wall coupled to the back, bottom, and sides, and wherein the means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base attaches base to the back of the cabinet. 
     
     
       5. The rack of claim 1 further comprising a flexible clip attached to the cabinet arranged to firmly and releasably grasp the barrel of a weapon. 
     
     
       6. The rack of claim 5 wherein the clip is molded of a polymeric material. 
     
     
       7. The rack of claim 1 further comprising a flexible clip attached to the cabinet arranged to firmly and releasably grasp the barrels of a plurality of weapons. 
     
     
       8. The rack of claim 1 further comprising a barrier in the cabinet to prevent the lateral movement of a butt of a weapon placed within the cabinet. 
     
     
       9. The rack of claim 1 wherein the means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base comprises screw means. 
     
     
       10. The rack of claim 1 wherein the means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base comprises latch means, manually operable without the aid of a tool. 
     
     
       11. The rack of claim 1 wherein the cabinet is made of extruded aluminum. 
     
     
       12. The rack of claim 1 further comprising a cover and means for releasably attaching the cover to the cabinet. 
     
     
       13. The rack of claim 12 further a comprising weather-proofing gasket between the cover and the cabinet. 
     
     
       14. A method of transporting a weapon in a portable weapon rack comprising a rigid base secured to a vehicle, a portable gun receiving cabinet having a flexible clip arranged to firmly and releasably grasp the weapon, and means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the rigid base, comprising: a. releasably inserting the weapon into the cabinet;   b. attaching the cabinet to the rigid base;   c. transporting the weapon within the cabinet attached to the rigid base; and   d. removing the weapon from the cabinet.   
     
     
       15. The rack of claim 1 wherein the cabinet comprises an elongated, open-faced box having a back, a bottom, a pair of opposing sides on either side of the back and bottom, and a rear wall coupled to the back, bottom, and sides, and wherein the means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base attaches base to either the bottom or the back of the cabinet. 
     
     
       16. The rack of claim 11 wherein the aluminum is covered with soft plastic. 
     
     
       17. The rack of claim 1 wherein the base includes a horizontally extending lip and a portion of the cabinet slides beneath the lip and wherein the means for releasably attaching the cabinet to the base comprises at least one wing-nut. 
     
     
       18. The rack of claim 1 further comprising a shock mount between the base and the cabinet and a shock mount beneath the base.